Original Word: עֲמֹרָה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Location
Transliteration: `Amorah
Pronunciation: ah-mo-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (am-o-raw')
KJV: Gomorrah
NASB: Gomorrah
Word Origin: [from H6014 (עָמַר - To bind sheaves)]

1. a (ruined) heap
2. Amorah, a place in Israel

Gomorrah

From amar; a (ruined) heap; Amorah, a place in Palestine -- Gomorrah.

see HEBREW amar

Word Origin
from amar
Definition
a city in the Jordan Valley
NASB Translation
Gomorrah (19).

עֲמֹרָה₁₉ proper name, of a location Gomorrah, Γομορρα (Γ = ; √ II. עמר according to Lag^{BN 54}); — always with סְדֹם q. v.; Genesis 10:19 8t. Genesis; in simile Amos 4:11; Isaiah 1:9; Isaiah 13:19; Deuteronomy 29:22; Jeremiah 49:18; Jeremiah 50:40; Zephaniah 2:9, compare Deuteronomy 32:32; figurative of iniquity Isaiah 1:10; Jeremiah 23:14.

III. עמר (√ of following; compare Arabic , live, live long; also worship; proper name etc.; RS^{K 266} proposes meaning worshipper, עָמְרִי worshipper of ׳י (compare We^{Skizzen iii. 165}) against him Nö^{ZMG xl (1886), 185}, who compare meaning live, , life).

Identification and Setting

Gomorrah was one of “the five cities of the plain” (Genesis 14:2) situated south of the Dead Sea, frequently paired with Sodom and bordered by Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar. Genesis 10:19 locates the region in the early Table of Nations, marking its territory “as far as Sodom and Gomorrah.”

Place in the Patriarchal Narrative

• Genesis 13:10-13 records Lot’s choice to dwell in the fertile Jordan Valley, “like the garden of the LORD,” yet the men of Sodom and Gomorrah “were wicked, sinning greatly against the LORD.”
• The alliance of Chedorlaomer (Genesis 14) brings Gomorrah into international conflict; its king, Birsha, fights alongside Sodom’s Bera. The tar pits of Genesis 14:10 foreshadow the region’s fiery fate.
• Divine judgment climaxes in Genesis 19:24-28. “Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the LORD out of the heavens” (Genesis 19:24). Abraham’s view of “dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace” (Genesis 19:28) seals the city’s annihilation.

Moral and Theological Themes

1. Exceeding Wickedness: The cry that “the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great” (Genesis 18:20) centers the narrative on pervasive, societal sin—not merely individual acts.
2. Divine Justice and Mercy: The negotiated intercession of Abraham (Genesis 18:22-33) highlights God’s willingness to spare the many for the sake of the righteous few, yet also His certainty in executing judgment when wickedness is unrepentant.
3. Pattern of Total Destruction: Fire, sulfur, desolation, and perpetual barrenness become the emblematic vocabulary for judgment throughout Scripture.

Prophetic and Poetic Usage

• Deuteronomy 29:23 uses the ruins of Gomorrah as a covenant warning: “All its land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur.”
• Deuteronomy 32:32 equates Israel’s later apostasy with “their vine is from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah.”
• Isaiah 1:9-10 laments Judah’s moral descent: “If the LORD of Hosts had not left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom, we would resemble Gomorrah.”
• Jeremiah 49:18; 50:40 and Zephaniah 2:9 invoke Gomorrah to describe the eventual overthrow of Edom, Babylon, Moab, and Ammon.
• Amos 4:11 speaks of Israel as “a burning stick snatched from the fire, yet you have not returned to Me,” coupling grace with warning.

Typological and Doctrinal Significance

Gomorrah functions as a paradigm of sudden, irreversible judgment (compare Luke 17:28-30). The New Testament writers extend the typology to final eschatological fire (2 Peter 2:6; Jude 1:7), demonstrating God’s consistent moral order across covenants.

Archaeological and Historical Considerations

The most common proposals place Gomorrah beneath the southern basin of the Dead Sea or at nearby sites like Bab edh-Dhra, numerically matching the early Bronze Age towns destroyed by catastrophic conflagration. Thick deposits of bitumen, salt, and sulfur around the Dead Sea supply a naturalistic backdrop that accords with the biblical description without diminishing its supernatural character.

Ministry Implications

1. Holiness and Corporate Accountability: Gomorrah warns that societal sin invites collective judgment. Preaching and teaching must address not only personal morality but communal ethics.
2. Intercessory Prayer: Abraham’s plea illustrates believers’ privilege and responsibility to stand in the gap for ungodly cultures.
3. Evangelistic Urgency: The swiftness of Gomorrah’s fall urges proclamation of repentance “today, if you hear His voice” (Hebrews 3:15).
4. Hope for the Remnant: Even amid judgment, God delivers the righteous (Lot and his daughters), assuring faith communities that obedience is not in vain.

Key References

Genesis 10:19; 13:10-13; 14:2-11; 18:20-32; 19:24-28

Deuteronomy 29:23; 32:32

Isaiah 1:9-10; 13:19

Jeremiah 23:14; 49:18; 50:40

Amos 4:11

Zephaniah 2:9

וַעֲמֹרָ֔ה וַעֲמֹרָ֖ה וַעֲמֹרָ֛ה וַעֲמֹרָה֙ ועמרה כַּֽעֲמֹרָ֔ה כַּעֲמֹרָֽה׃ כעמרה כעמרה׃ לַעֲמֹרָ֖ה לעמרה עֲמֹרָ֑ה עֲמֹרָ֔ה עֲמֹרָ֖ה עֲמֹרָ֗ה עֲמֹרָ֛ה עֲמֹרָֽה׃ עמרה עמרה׃ ‘ă·mō·rāh ‘ămōrāh amoRah ka‘ămōrāh ka·‘ă·mō·rāh kaamoRah la‘ămōrāh la·‘ă·mō·rāh laamoRah vaamoRah wa‘ămōrāh wa·‘ă·mō·rāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts